New York Yankees Secure Top Seed After Cleveland Guardians Loss

The road to the World Series is set to tear through the New York Yankees' home in The Bronx.

Sep 26, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) celebrates with right fielder Juan Soto (22) after hitting a two run home run during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The road to the World Series is set to go through The Bronx.

The New York Yankees are officially the top seed on the American League playoff bracket. Despite missing out on a chance to earn it themselves against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the afternoon, they secured such an honor when the Cleveland Guardians dropped a 4-3 decision to the Houston Astros on Saturday night.

The Yankees' first postseason pitch is scheduled for next Saturday while Wild Card action gets underway on Tuesday.

This postseason will be the first with the Yankees (93-68) leading the AL proceedings since 2012. Three of the last four Yankee titles (1998, 1999, 2009) have been earned from the top slot. They are set to play the winner of the Wild Card series between the fourth-ranked Baltimore Orioles and either the Detroit Tigers or the Kansas City Royals (the Tigers are in No. 5 as of press time).

The Yankees' 93 wins are the fewest an AL regular season champion has obtained in a 162-game campaign since the Boston Red Sox picked up 92 in 1967.

Despite their success, the Yankees have surprisingly struggled at home in The Bronx this season, as they've posted a 43-37 record at Yankee Stadium. That's currently tied with Detroit for worst among the AL's postseason six with one more against the Pirates slated for Sunday afternoon (3:05 p.m. ET, YES).

With this development, four of the six seeds on the AL bracket are accounted for with only the aforementioned Detroit/Kansas City dispute in question. Fellow division winners Cleveland and Houston take up the second and third seeds respectively.